The present invention relates to railguns and, more particularly, to a symmetrical railgun having at least four rails.
Known railguns comprise a single pair of conductive rails that surround a cavity and are disposed parallel to an axis. In operation, an electrically conductive material is placed in the cavity, and a current source is coupled to the two rails. Current flows through the rails for forming a magnetic field, and a current path is formed across the two rails through the electrically conductive material. The magnetic field interacts with the electric current flowing through the conductive material for creating an accelerating force which accelerates the electrically conductive material in the direction of the axis. At the same time, a repulsive force acts radially outwardly from the axis.